CS20 Beatrice Ann's maiden voyage

[JeffM]

No, she isn't QUITE finished, but I just HAD to get her in the water this season! The Beatrice Ann was christened late yesterday (she got a bit, but we actually drank most of the home-made peach wine!), and then put into service giving 5-minute rides to the relatives in attendance. Several people stopped to see her (one little sloop under power actually doubling back for a closer look), and an older guy in a very handsome home-built kayak made my jaw drop when he asked, "is that a Core Sound?"

But the real adventures began today: my two older boys and I took Grampy out for an hour's sail-- my 80-year-old father has been waiting for this day. Then, after dropping him back at the ramp, we headed out a couple of miles for a promised trip to Prudence Island for lunch. Graham, everything I've heard about this design is true: she's light, responsive and fast but so placid to handle that I left the tiller (though not the main sheet) to my boys for long periods without fear. Tacking and jibing were no more difficult than turning circles in a car. I even got her to self-steer: with a few adjustments to a bungee on the tiller, she steered a close reach without interference for the better part of 10 minutes! My 8-year-old son Trevor has always been enthusiastic, but I think my older son, 10-year-old Aron, is getting hooked as well. Thank you, Graham, for an excellent design! And thank you Frank, and thank you all, for the great education and help I've gotten here!

[Gordy Hill]

Nice job Jeff!!

She looks great!

That can't be all the pictures you took. Where's the rest of them?

[Guest]

Great feeling isn't it.... And great pictures, all with the simular smiles that comes standard with the plans, but not drawn on them, and with being out on the water with your very own boat, truely your very own one, that will cause others to stare at you. 8)

[P Doug (WA)]

Congratulations! Beautiful, beautiful boat. Great look'n kids also. Now tuck in your shirttail! :wink:

[Tom Williams]

WOW ... Congratulations!!! She is a beautiful boat. Nice job.

My CS17 is still in the basement. Your pictures are the fuel I need to keep me going. Keep the pics coming ... I may need another recharge in a week or two.

Tom

[Bruce Leonard]

Jeff,

Your new boat looks really great. When you and I sailed my CS 20 a year ago, you were just starting. That day there was no wind. Now you know what this boat can do! It's great to have another CS 20 sailing in Narragansett Bay.

Let's connect sometime soon to launch our boats out of Bristol or Riverside.

Bruce Leonard

[JeffM]

Thanks for all the warm thoughts. This is one time I'm glad the picture resolution isn't that good--talk about your 50-yard-finishes! I hope to get out another time or two this week and get a few more pictures. Bruce, It'd be nice to sail together, but I don't know when I'll be free with the school year about to start. By the way, were you able to keep your daughter in her current school?

[Joe Sundstrom]

I do love the look of the cat ketch rig!!

And the bark-colored sails are so salty.

Congrats, have a ball sailing her.

Joe

[JeffM]

Went out again yesterday, taking 5-yr-old Stephen (unhappy I left him behind the first time). Gave my mother a ride, too (she used to crew for my Dad on his Blue Jay most of half-a-century ago). Intended to give Mom a nice but not too exciting time. Then the wind, forecast at 10kt, turned out to be 15. And I decided not to reef. And we heeled a good deal. And I soaked the whole family with spray. Oh, well...

(After I dropped Mom at the ramp, I did reef on the beach, and the boat rode much more securely. I shook the reefs out when the wind slackened half an hour later. I may need to think about lowering my rig: the masts are currently 6" taller than designed in order to leave me more dodger/bimini headroom. Does anyone have any experience with the difference a few inches might make?)

Stephen, Trevor and I had a nice adventure for the next few hours: everyone got turns steering, we reprised some of our earlier trip as well as going to some new places, I showed the boys the bell buoy that began and ended many of my teenage adventures long ago, and we watched a beautiful evening sky. I tried to calibrate my "speedometer" by timing a charted run--and ended up losing the whole rig overboard. (I was quite proud of it: about 13' of poly rope dragged astern off a delicate spring scale; the faster we went the higher the spring scale registered. Got to make another one!) By the way, my hand-held anemometer is the cheapest/best I've found: a Dwyer Wind Meter available from Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories for about $20. We got in after 7pm. The boys were sound asleep on the long ride home.

[Designer]

Jeff,

Congratulations on your launching. I am glad to see you really enjoying your boat.

The extra 6" on your mast's height will increase your heeling moment by about 5%.

[JeffM]

Thanks, Graham, for the info. I am finding that, single-handing even in 5-10kt winds, I find myself grabbing that main sheet once in a while. (I count sailing with my youngest kids almost as single-handing-- they don't know much yet and weigh even less!) But mast height can't be the reason if its only a 5% difference. I'll leave it as is for now and learn to sail the boat better.

Yesterday I was out in winds forecast as 10-15kts, but turned out to be light and variable. Made me think of the staysail that arrived from you folks a couple of days ago. (Thanks!!) I've already replaced most of my homestore-bought rope with the new lines, and have started to get the staysail hardware in place for the next light air day. A few questions: have you used your staysail single-handed? If so, how do you heave-to so you can mess with halyard, tack, sheet and such? What I know about heaving-to in sloops involves backing the jib; how do you manage it without one? Got any other single-handing tips I haven't thought to ask about? Thanks again for everything!

[Bruce Leonard]

Jeff,

Heaving to in the CS 20 is easy. Release the main sheet. Trim in your mizzen and let the tiller go. The boat will head up into the wind. Whenever you stop to adjust something forward, or for a sandwich, whatever, it's that easy. This is one of the real plusses of having a mizzen.

When I reef, I reef the mizzen first and trim it close to the centerline. Makes it easier to reef the main.

[JeffM]

Thanks, Bruce. I don't know if that trick would work for putting up or dousing the mizzen staysl. Have you ever used one?

[Designer]

Bruce is correct, heaving-to is just like he said. I don't heave-to to hoist the mizzen staysail while single handing, I just scurry around the boat like a mad thing while trying to maintain a reasonable course. The only thing you need to leave the helm for is to attach the tack to the windward eye which should be about 18" aft of the main mast. The staysail halyard is on the mizzen mast and can be handled from the helm. Don't forget to set up the halyard so that it works like a running backstay, all of this has been discussed on earlier posts.

[JeffM]

Thanks, Graham. I can't wait for a chance to "scurry around the boat like a mad thing." Maybe I can reduce the need a bit by loosely cleating off the foot on a likely windward side before leaving the ramp. Anyway, all is in readiness; already have the hardware in all the right places and stopper knot adjusted. By the way, my sail came from you with a bag of cloth bits and a piece of self-adhesive material--I have no idea what they're for. (The bits might make good telltales.)

[Designer]

Yes, I included the tell tale material in case you would like to use them.